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Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Endicott

One of the things I don't like about the Franklin Line is that it just has too many dang stops. Endicott is three minutes away from both of its neighboring stations (Dedham Corporate Center and Readville), and has a very local kind of feel. It's also not very interesting...

What a generic shelter.

Endicott is a pretty tiny station to begin with, so there isn't much platform room for amenities. The inbound side gets a shelter, at least, and it's of the "boring wooden" variety. This side also features such amazing attractions as...a bench! A wastebasket! Okay, that's the end of the attractions.

The outbound side.

Well, hey, it's better than the outbound platform! All that side has is a bench and a wastebasket locked up to a station sign. The small parking lot is also accessible from here, with 45 spaces. That doesn't seem like much, but this station is right in a suburban residential neighborhood, so I don't think too many people would drive here. This side also has a decently-sized bike rack.

The other exit.

Meanwhile, the station's other exit used to be a cute pedestrian path, according to Google Maps Street View. However, it appears that they built a new road just to build a single house, and now the character of the entrance is gone. Oh well, at least there's more bike parking here. I appreciate a station with lots of bike spaces.

A train leaving the station.

Station: Endicott

Ridership: Barring Plymptonville, which only gets one train per day, this is the least-used station on the Franklin Line - Endicott only gets an average of 350 riders per weekday. I'm not entirely sure why so few people use this station, but maybe it's because it's so close to Boston that riders don't want to pay $6.25 (soon to be $6.75) to get into the city. I'm only guessing - I really have no idea.

Pros: The station has basic amenities like shelter and benches, and it feels pretty quiet and tranquil. The presence of a parking lot, no matter how small, is a good thing, and there's a good amount of bike space here.

Cons: It's not accessible for one thing, and for another...do trains really need to stop here? I mean, don't get me wrong, some people use this place. But I almost wonder if more trains should skip through. It's incredibly close to Dedham Corporate Center and Readville (both of which have excess space in their parking lots), and having some trains skip Endicott would speed up the line slightly.

Nearby and Noteworthy: Aside from a tiny business block at the end of Greenwood Ave, the surroundings of this station are entirely residential.

Final Verdict: 4/10
What if they made it a flag stop? At least make it a flag stop! Come on, it just seems pointless to have every train stop here. Is there really someone waiting here every time a train comes through? Making a station a flag stop really doesn't impact anyone, and would speed up the Franklin Line just a little bit to be able to skip by if no one's waiting. Oh, and the station itself? It's...it's a station. A boring station.

Latest MBTA News:Service Updates
Hey, it's been a while since I've updated this! As I alluded to earlier, the dreaded fare increase begins on July 1st, so check to see what the increased rates are.